Improvement in middlings-purifiers



E. S. BARTHOLOMEW.

Mvi'ddlngs-Purifiers. No. 212-,834. Patented Mar. 4,1879.

UNITED STATES` PATENT OEEIGE ESLIS. BARTHOLOMEW, OF MAYSVILLE, ASSIGNORTO BARRIET T. BARTHOLOMEW, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MIDDLINGS-PURIFIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,834, dated March 4,1879; application filed June 27, 1878.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, ESLI S. BARTI-IOLOMEW, of Maysville, in the countyof Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Middlings-Purifiers, of which the following is aspecification:

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effectual machine,arranged within small compass, that will enable me to use the full andeffective force ofthe air from the fans to thoroughly winnow thematerial as it passes through the machine,to facilitate cleaning thescreens by means of successive blasts of air, and, furthermore, to feed,convey, and discharge the middlings in an improved manner into, through,and away from the machine, as will hereinafter appear; and theimprovement consists, first, in arranging an air-blast port at the headof and above the surface of the screen, and a blast-ch amber beneath thescreen, in such manner that the blast up through the screen will raisethe lighter particles abovethe material upon the screen, in order thatthey may be acted upon by the upper blast, which passes in a sheetacross the screensurface and carried directly away thereby; second, incombining a screen, an upper draft or blast chamber, a blast-chamberbeneath the screen, and an intermittently-operating valve that admitsthe airin puffs beneath the screen and serves to clear its meshes, and,furthermore, tosses the material above the surface of the screen, whichoperation materially facilitates the action ofthe upper drafts upon thelighter particles; third, in arranging graded screens one to follow theother at a lower elevation in the same chamber, and providing bothscreens with separate blast-chambers beneath them, so that the lowerscreen will catch the tailings of the upper forward screen and besubjected to an independent blast, all these parts being suspended andvibrating together in the same frame, as will hereinafter appear;fourth, in combining the graded screens, arranged one to follow theother, and a suitable distance below its level, the blast-chambers,arranged separately beneath the screens, and separated from each otherby a delivery-plate, and provided with spouts beneath the rear end ofthe screens to deliver the material from ,chamben B, securely attachedto its upper members, and at the head of which is arranged a hopper, O,provided with an arrangement for regulating and distributing the feed,as hereinafter described.

The screens D D have blast-chambers E E arranged beneath them, and aresecured to a boxing, F, that is suspended by links f f directly beneaththe dust-chamber.

A fan-blower, G, and wind-trunk H is arranged at the head of themachine, and is provided with ports I Il, that communicate with thewind-trunks beneath the screens, and

Aalso with a port, I2, that admits the blast into the dust-chamberimmediately beneath the feed-hopper and above the head of the screen D,so that as the material falls from the hopper to the head of the screenit is interceptetl by'the blast from the port I2, and freed from aportion of its dust before it falls upon the head of the screen, andthus relieves the screen of unnecessary incumbrance. The port I2 alsodirects the blast across the surface of the screen, and carries off anyimpurities that are raised even slightly above the surface of the screenby the blast from beneath it. A valve, J2, is arranged in the port l2,and serves to regulate the force of the blast. This valve may be pla-ceddirectly over the mouth of thc port, so that its area may'be decreasedby closing the valve, and thus project a thinner sheet or sharper blastacross the screen when desired. The port I has a valve, J, and the portI1 a valve, J l, to regulate the blast in the chambers E E.

v The valvej is operated by a rod, jl, and bellcrank lever je, with acam or wiper, jg, secured to the main driving-shaft K, so that at eachrevolution of the shaft the valve will be opened and closed. A spring,jt, presses upon the crank j, and serves to keep the valve open. By thismeans an intermittent blast is secured beneath the screen, which willtoss the material up and let it fall again upon the screen.

When it is tossed up it is met by the current of air passing over thescreen and freed from fiber, and then falls upon the screen, and after amoments lapse of time, during which the granules may pass through thesieve, another puft'ofair from beneath the screen will raise the lightermaterial again from the screen, and so on until it reaches the tail ofthe'machine and is discharged. at intervals, a constant draft may passthrough the screen to prevent light particles of dust from passingthrough with the purified middlings, and an intermittent puff orincreased lblast may serve to toss the middlin gs up from the screen, asabove described. This putting blast will serve to clear the meshes ofthe screen, so that they will rarely require brush- 1n g.

The screens D Dl are arranged one following the other, and in suchmanner that the head of the screen Dl adjoins and is a suitable distancebelow the level of the tail end of the screen D. The blast-chambers E Eare sepa-- rated by the delivery-plate e, which is raised on the sidesat the discharge end to form a concave or trough that will direct thepurified middlings to the spout L, which deposits them lupon the lowerdelivery-plate, c', ot' the blastchamber E', and whichis of similarconstruction to the plate e, and is also provided with a spout, L', bywhich the middlings are nall y discharged from the machine.

By means ot' the graded screens, arranged as described, with separateblast-chambers and a common dust-chamber, a simple construction andeconomy of space are obtained, giving an increased areaof unobstructedspace at the rear end of the machine for the discharge of dust.

The riserD2, arranged between the screens D D, is perforated or slotted,and may be provided with a valve to regulate the opening, and thusserves to admit a sheet or blast of air from the chamber E across thematerial fallin g from screen D to screen D1, and also across thesurface ofthe screen D, in the same manner and for the same purposedescribed with the port I2.

The boxing F, with its screens, air-chainbers, and spouts, suspended, asabove described, from the frame, is vibrated back and forth by means ofpitmen -M M, operated by cams mm, secured to a counter-shaft, N, drivenfrom a pulley, K, on the drivin g-shaft K. All of the material, bothupon the screens and in the draftehambers, is thus kept in motion andfed along from the head to the tail ends Instead of shutting of entirelyof the screens and chambersin a simple and effectual manner.

The vibrating boxing can be easily removed by disconnecting the links ff, so that the screen may be repaired, or other portions of themachinereached, without difficulty. A belt, O, passes from the pulley Kof the driving-shaft, and over the pulley N on the counter-shaft and Gon the fan-blower shaft, and serves to operate them.

The feed-hopper C is provided with a side flap, C1, hinged at its upperedge and adjusted by means of a set-screw, so that the opening betweenthe lower edge of the iap Cl and the opposite side of the hopper may beincreased or diminished.

A scouring-brush, G2, on the shaft K its closely in a concave, C3,within which it revolves, and serves to partly disintegrate and evenlydistribute the material upon the cantboard C4; and by means of the valveor hinged flap GI the feed can be readily a-nd nicely adjusted.

l hereby disclaim as my invention the interfering matter contained inthe application of William L. Teter now pending before this office.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent- 1. Thecombination of a shaking screen and a fan having blast-ports above andbelow the screen, the upper of said ports bein arranged to direct theblast over the surface of the 'screen and operate upon the materiallifted by the lower blast, as set forth.

2. The combination of the screen, a blastchamber above the screen, ablast-chamber below the screen, and an. inter1nittently-oper ating valveto close the lower blast, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the graded screens, arranged one below and tofollow the other, and provided with separate blast-chambers, allsupported and moving in the same frame.

4. The graded screens arranged one to follow the other below its level,the blast-chambers arranged separately beneath the screens, thegrani-delivery plate forming the floor of the irst chamber, and providedwith a spout beneath t-he rear end of the screen to deliver the materialfrom the tail end of the `upper chamber to the iloor at the head of thelower chamber, substantially as described.

5. The combination and arrangement of the graded screens, one followingthe other, and a riser connecting them provided with blast openings topermit the blast to sweep the lower screen, as setfforth.

ESLIAS. BARTHOLOMEW.

Vitnesses:

(). .Ll/VILLARD, RINALDO ADAMS.

